1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to a printing apparatus, such as a tape printing apparatus and a word processor, which has the function of displaying the printed information of an image to be printed.
2. Description of Conventional Art
In conventional printing apparatuses of this type, when an image displayed on a display screen to be printed is edited in various ways, e.g., when the background of an image (a character image) is set to be a desired image or color or when the color of characters is set to be a desired color, a display screen is switched to any one of screens for editing (editing screens), from the point of view of the need and handling for displaying a plurality of options. For example, the background of an image is set on an editing screen for setting the background, and the color of characters is set on an editing screen for setting the color of characters.
By the way, when a wide range of editing operations for an image are carried out as described above, there are some cases where a user forgets what has been set about some of various editing operations, and there are some cases where the user wants to verify the printed information of the image based on the edited contents of the image before printing. In such cases, similar to the above described editing operation for the image, the display screen is switched to an editing screen for desired editing, and the printed information is verified on the editing screen, so that the verification operation is very complicated. That is, in order to verify one printed information after verifying another printed information, the display screen must be switched from an editing screen to the original display screen, and then, the display screen must be switched to another editing screen. In addition, when an editing operation for a lower hierarchy (a lower editing operation) is provided for editing an image, in order to verify the printed information for a lower editing operation after verifying the printed information for another lower editing operation, the display screen must be switched to the original display by two or more stages, and then, the display screen must be switched to an editing screen for the lower editing operation by two or more stages again. Therefore, it is required to carry out four or more stages of switching operations for the display screen, so that the operation for verifying the printed information is further complicated.
Although such a problem is common to monochrome printing apparatuses and color printing apparatuses, this problem in color printing apparatuses is more serious than that in monochrome printing apparatuses since there are a large number of edited items for color.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate the aforementioned problems and to provide a printing apparatus capable of easily and simply verifying the printed information of an image to be printed.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus comprises: image display means for displaying an image to be printed on a display screen; screen switching means being capable of switching the display screen of the image display means to any one of a plurality of editing screens for editing the image to be printed; storage means for storing a printed information of the image to be printed, the printed information being based on an edited content set by each of the editing screens; and printed information display means for displaying the printed information, which is stored in the storage means, on the display screen by hierarchical printed information screens.
In the above described printing apparatus, a printed information screen in an upper hierarchy of the hierarchical printed information screens may include a state information on printing means for carrying out printing and an information on a printed medium. In addition, a printed information screen in a lower hierarchy of the hierarchical printed information screens may include an information for introducing an editing screen for editing the printed information. In addition, the printed information display means may be formed so as to be capable of carrying out a scroll display of information, which is included in the printed information screens, on the display screen. Moreover, when all information included in each of the printed information screens is not able to be displayed on the display screen, the printed information display means may be formed so as to be capable of selectively displaying another information, which is not able to be displayed, on the display screen.